2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

The reinvented Mercedes Gullwing finally leaves the nest and heads to Frankfurt.

Of all the significant automobiles to be unveiled at this year’s Frankfurt auto show, there may be none so highly anticipated as the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Affalterbach’s new supercar is a brazen homage to the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, a car so legendary that it took no less than a half century for Mercedes to muster up the nerve to tap into its spirit.

Retro? Yes. Literal Recreation of the Original? No

Alas, as much as we had seen of the SLS AMG through its camo-clad test mules, there are a lot of details that we’re only now able to see. Indeed, it’s a rather busy design; anyone hoping for the sort of design purity and simplicity that marked the original Gullwing will have a lot more to take in than they might want. The deliciously long front end is dominated by a huge grille bisected by a horizontal chrome vane and, of course, a prominent three-pointed star. Around that are numerous apertures directing air to its various destinations, with a pair of vertical, multi-element headlamps creeping up the stretched fenders.

Behind each 19-inch front wheel are several more feet of fuselage which terminate at the already famous gullwing doors that stretch from shin height well into the roof. The roof itself appears curiously angular and flat—not domed like the original, which looked great but forced occupants to sit shoulder-to-shoulder and did nothing to accommodate tall drivers’ heads (let alone helmets). The rear end, however, is a rounded, tapered affair, like the original, only with much larger taillamps and a slight aero bulge in the trunklid that will help it both accommodate more custom-fitted luggage and, thanks to its extendable rear spoiler, stay on the ground at the car’s electronically governed 195-mph top speed.

“It is more than just the exclusive gullwing doors that make the design of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG so special. Our aim with this interpretation is to create the classic car of the future and put the most beautiful sports car of the 21st century on the road,” said Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. You can decide for yourself if they put the most beautiful sports car of this century on the road (we’re sort of partial to the Alfa 8C Competizione ourselves), but note that he clearly did not state that Mercedes-AMG wanted to create the classic car of the past. So quiet down, purists.

Pure New-School Under the Skin

In any case, this car can hold its own with most any sports car carrying a price tag of less than a quarter of a million bucks (we expect the SLS AMG to cost about $175K when it makes it over here early next year). AMG was solely responsible for the content of this car, and it shows, as our European correspondent Juergen Zoellter gleefully discovered in a balls-out first drive of an SLS AMG prototype. In his review, Zoellter details the featherweight aluminum space frame (just 531 pounds), as well as the sonorous 6.2-liter V-8 engine, which sits well aft of the front axle and makes an extremely potent 563 hp at 6800 rpm and 479 lb-ft of torque at 4750 rpm. The AMG-engineered mill comes mated only to a seven-speed, dual-clutch automated manual transaxle with multiple shift settings. The traction-control system has a launch mode much like that on the SL63 AMG (and the Porsche 911 GT2, and Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, and Aston Martin DBS, and . . .) that could help even your grandmother achieve something close to the 3.6-second 0–60 time Mercedes quotes for the SLS AMG. As for handling, Zoellter sums it up by saying: “It is mind-blowingly simple to drive the SLS quickly.” This is something that each one of us here cannot wait to verify for ourselves.

Clean, Simple Luxury

As sporting as the new SLS AMG may be to drive, it should be a reasonably nice—if not snug—place to spend time. The cabin is surprisingly free of conspicuous design flourishes, with a clean, simple dash most notable for its horizontal linearity and subtle secondary controls. The round vents and center stack look downright plebeian in pictures, however rendered they may be in top-shelf materials. Top-stitched Nappa leather and Alcantara, however, surround both occupants, while the driver faces a flat-bottom steering wheel that frames the tunneled gauges and info display.

Other nifty options that will be available in Europe, and likely here, include paintwork using that cool liquid-metallic “Alubeam” silver or one of two matte finishes; carbon-fiber pieces like exterior mirrors, hood, and various interior bits; forged 10-spoke wheels; and an “uprated” performance chassis for “optimized dynamic transverse movement.” That last one sounds rather fun.

Clearly, then, the SLS is a modern sports car that takes delight in evoking the past visually, but not so much dynamically. It will spawn a gullwing-less roadster, like the original, as well as a fully electric version. No matter what form the SLS takes, however, it will be highly sought after from the start.